A Reykjavík goldsmith says that people are literally selling the gold out of their mouths for extra cash.
Magnús Steindórsson, who buys and sells gold, told Vísir that with an ounce of gold selling for about 100,000 ISK (about 805 USD), these days he’s seen a lot more people coming in to sell their gold teeth.
“A woman came in here the other day, pulled her tooth out of her mouth and asked what she could get for it,” Steindórsson told reporters. He offered her 1,800 ISK per gram, “[The gold tooth] weighed seven grams, so she left pretty happy.”
He added that sometimes people come in with gold teeth that show quality craftsmanship. “So you point out to them that they shouldn’t sell this, because that kind of quality isn’t coming back.” If people insist on selling the teeth anyway, he says, then he buys them, but doesn’t melt them down.
(Photo: flickr.com)